Police arrest boy, 17, accused of being behind Facebook page that featured nude photos of local students

Thursday

Jan 30, 2014 at 10:47 AMJan 30, 2014 at 8:35 PM

Police have arrested a 17-year-old Fall River boy accused of creating a “horrific and graphic” Facebook page that allegedly displayed nude photos of area high-school-aged students.

Brian Fraga Herald News Staff Reporter @BfragaHN

Police have arrested a 17-year-old Fall River boy accused of creating a "horrific and graphic" Facebook page that allegedly displayed nude photos of area high-school-aged students.

The teen, whose name was not disclosed because he is a minor, will be charged with dissemination of obscene material harmful to minors and possessing child pornography. On Thursday, Fall River police investigators interviewed witnesses and traced the Facebook account to the teen a little less than 24 hours after parents began complaining about the obscene page.

"I am relieved the suspect is in custody and will be brought to justice," Mayor William Flanagan said in prepared remarks. "I commend the FRPD for their swift, competent and thorough investigation. As mayor, I remind the community to monitor your children's social media use and keep our children safe from these terrible crimes."

Fall River police Chief Daniel S. Racine said he was "thoroughly pleased" the suspect is in custody.

"There is no doubt his actions are reprehensible, deliberate and criminal," Racine said. "I commend all of my officers and detectives for their determination to solve the case in an expeditious fashion."

In a Facebook post Thursday morning and subsequent interviews, Flanagan thanked local residents who informed him of the Facebook page called "Fall River Hooters" that quickly gained hundreds of followers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island by Wednesday night.

Flanagan said he encouraged Racine to look into partnering with federal law enforcement agencies and considering "all criminal charges" — including dissemination of child pornography — that the page's creator faces.

On Thursday, Fall River Police Officer Joseph Reed and Detective Nelson Sousa, along with other members of the Fall River Police Department's Major Crimes Unit, obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect along with a search warrant for his residence, where investigators seized several electronic devices.

The investigation continues as more evidence collection needs to be done, police said.

The controversial page, which temporarily changed its name to "River Hooters" before Facebook took it down for good Thursday morning, had been banned by Wednesday night from uploading videos or pictures due to its violating the social networking site's community standards.

"As a citizen, I'm deeply saddened to see children exploited in the way that they were on Facebook," Flanagan said. "The children involved can be severely emotionally scarred for their entire life. What may have started out as a prank became something really serious and will be dealt with accordingly."

Fall River Detective J.D. Costa, in a press release Thursday morning, said the Fall River Police Major Crimes Division detective assigned to the case worked with Facebook's security personnel Wednesday night to remove all the explicit pictures.

Flanagan said some parents of the children who were depicted on the page have contacted the Fall River Police Department.

"I encourage parents to sit down with their children, to discuss the ills that can result from this type of behavior," Flanagan said. "The Internet can be used for so much good, but today we are seeing the negative side of how the Internet can also be used."

Various national studies have indicated that one in five teenagers has electronically sent or posted nude and partially nude pictures of themselves. Since 2010, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office has investigated 39 cases countywide involving sexting — the electronic transmission of sexually explicit pictures — and prosecuted two minors who were charged with disseminating child pornography because the pictures depicted children and teenagers under age 17.

Last January, the Swansea Police Department investigated a complaint that teenage students at Joseph Case High School were sending sexually explicit photos and text messages to each other. In April 2013, the Taunton Police Department opened an investigation into allegations that Taunton High School students were sharing nude or semi-nude images of classmates.

Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter said the Taunton matter was still under investigation. The district attorney's policy has been to prosecute minors who were malicious in disseminating nude photos of their peers.

"This is a very serious and somber matter that I think, unfortunately, is taken much too lightly by a lot of young people," Sutter said, adding that concern for the victims was his first thought when he learned of the Facebook page.

"You hear these devastating horror stories of teens sent into depression, who become suicidal because of something that took place and was sent out in an instant," Sutter said. "It's very, very concerning. That is why I think it's incumbent on us to do more to spread the message: No. 1, it's a crime, and No. 2, think about what you risk doing to another human being and the anguish you are putting them through."

The reaction this week among local young people on social media, such as Twitter, was mixed. Some joked and made light of the Facebook page, saying the teenage girls should have known better. Other teens expressed shock and disappointment, and said they hoped the page's creator will be arrested and charged with a sex crime.

Word about the Facebook page — which was created sometime Wednesday afternoon — spread quickly on social media. The page — which reportedly featured obscene photos with negative comments about the teens in them — had almost 800 "likes" by 11 p.m. Wednesday. The page's creator promised the page's followers "real entertainment" and said certain girls would be "exposed."

"I think there were probably a number of kids involved who initiated sharing these pictures with someone without the knowledge that it would ever result in (the pictures) being spread this far and this wide," said Michelle Loranger, executive director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Bristol County.

Loranger said she believes one person or a small group is probably responsible for creating the Facebook page. The Children's Advocacy Center, located in Fall River, has published a brochure on sexting and cyberbullying to educate children and their parents about the need to be careful with technology such as smartphones, as well as being aware of the potential consequences.

"We need to educate them on what the legal and social ramifications are to engaging in this kind of behavior," Loranger said. "It's disappointing to know this behavior continues to be prevalent. Until and unless we intervene with kids in a different way about giving them technology like smartphones and helping them get access to social media, this is never going to stop."

[View the story "Nude pics on "Fall River Hooters" Facebook page lead to investigation" on Storify]